129 - [HISTORY - NETHERLANDS] - BONDAM, Pieter

[HISTORY - NETHERLANDS] - BONDAM, Pieter Collection of Unpublished Documents for the Elucidation of National History. Compiled, gathered, and annotated with some explanatory remarks Utrecht, by Bartholome Wild, 1779–1781, 5 volumes In-8°. In a brown temporary cover. Signs of wear, creased corners, interior fresh. First edition and first printing of this monumental collection of unpublished documentary sources, complete in 5 volumes. A renowned jurist, rector, and professor of law at the University of Utrecht, Pieter Bondam (1727–1800) was also appointed official historiographer of the province of Gelderland. In this capacity, he spent many years exploring the chapter, municipal, and private archives of the Netherlands in order to extract the most significant documents. This collection of previously unpublished documents aims to shed light on the legal, political, and historical structure of the Dutch homeland, focusing primarily on the 16th century (up to approximately 1578). The volume offers rigorous transcriptions of diplomatic correspondence (notably reports on Philip II’s intentions following the death of Requesens in 1576), decrees from the Pacification of Ghent, and resolutions of the States General. Each document is accompanied by detailed critical notes and philological commentary in the footnotes written by Bondam. An indispensable historical reference work for the study of the Eighty Years’ War.